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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Now Serving: Jim Beam-Infused Ice Cream to Start Your Day

Many adventurous diners these days have tried flavors of ice cream that, just a few years ago, might have seemed nutty. (Would you like a scoop of Salted Butter? What about Bacon?) Elizabeth Weil, writing for the New York Times Magazine, profiles a man who takes things even further.

Jake Godby's San Francisco ice cream shop, Humphry Slocombe, features as its best seller the Secret Breakfast, which includes toasted corn flakes and Jim Beam. Other options: the Michael Jackson-inspired Jesus Juice (red wine and Coke, natch) and Hibiscus Beet (made with the earthy root vegetable). It is, Godby explains, a "challenging" ice cream shop.

As for eaters who are challenging in an entirely different way: The Wall Street Journal profiles them in this story, including a 39-year-old mom who only eats fries, certain pastas, vegetarian pizza, cooked broccoli, corn on the cob, and cakes and cookies -- but only the final two if they're nut-free. Scientists says this kind of extreme picky eating may well be a mental disorder, and at Duke they've actually started a registry where people can self-report. (See this link if you have weird eating patterns to input -- and no, a yen for occasional Secret Breakfasts doesn't count.)

On the political side: Would a tax on soda really cut down on obesity? The USDA says yes -- according to its study, a 20 percent increase would lead adults to drink 37 fewer calories of the stuff on a daily basis.

Since that's a measly one-fourth of a twelve-ounce can of Coca-Cola, we have to wonder if they're saving the rest for tomorrow? But maybe we're just skeptical because Big Cola has brainwashed us. As the New York Times reports, soft-drink companies spent a kazillion dollars convincing that state to reject Governor David Paterson's proposed one-cent-per-ounce tax on soda. Surprise: The effort worked!

And it's not just the Empire State. Citing the American Beverage Association, the Times says similar proposals have collapsed in at least ten other cities or states, including Vermont, Mississippi and Alaska.